💖 Making podcast friends, with intention
Leave behind what doesn’t serve your listeners
At Tink, we’re always talking about how we love making podcast friends. It’s not a stretch to say it’s embedded in the very fabric of our DNA. Wil even wrote this great piece on how carefully we treat our community.
Our philosophy is simple – the podcast friends we make are the friends we want to keep. So, buckle up. It’s time to take a look at your podcast friends* and spring clean ‘em up!
*When I say podcast friends, I mean partners who you do swaps with or your sponsors and advertisers.
😊 If you only have time for one thing…
TL;DR – ask your listeners what they like and what they don’t. And keep asking in regular intervals.
🧺 Promos: discard what doesn’t bring your listeners joy
Imagine you were setting a beloved friend (actual, not podcast) on a blind date. You’d likely do a TON of research on the prospective date for your friend. Make sure they’re both good fits for each other. At the very least you’d make sure there’s a vibe match.
I think of cross-promos as setting listeners on blind dates! You want to make sure that there’s a huge overlap, genre or vibe-wise, between your podcast and your promo partner.
It’s time to discard what’s not bringing your listeners joy! Some ideas on how to go about it:
Ask your listeners. Did they enjoy a specific podcast you swapped with? Did they dislike any? Did they feel like some promo partners were not a good fit?
Spend time (and money) in measuring the results of your swaps. Ask your partners to measure their results too. If the conversions were low, it’s likely not serving you.
And last but not least – if it doesn’t feel like a good fit, it’s probably not. Trust your gut.
🌺 Spring cleaning is about removing what doesn’t bring you joy to make space for what does! In that spirit – consider swapping podcast genres other than yours. Your listeners contain multitudes. Just like you, they’re consuming media from different places. They’re probably listening to more than one genre of podcasts.
👂Sponsors and advertisers: the listener-first approach
Remember that friend you were setting up on a blind date? Now, imagine it’s not just a regular friend but it’s a family member. Or a boss. You’re taking it a bit more seriously now, aren’t you?
That’s how I recommend approaching how to choose sponsors and advertisers for your podcast. For your listeners. With care, but also with a bit of healthy apprehension. Because that’s how listeners are going to be listening to those ads. I mean, who here hasn’t heard or seen an ad that didn’t feel like a right fit to the content?
Let’s protect your listeners from that. Here’s how you might go about it:
Ask them. Get a vibe check on their thoughts and emotions about ads. If they’re loyal listeners of your podcast, they will likely understand that you need to monetize. However, by asking them you – a) show you care about them, and b) can do research on what kinds of advertisers to get.
If you’re already running an ad campaign, fret not! You can ask your listeners mid-campaign what their thoughts are. Some data >>> no data at all.
Make sure what you’re advertising has the same values as you, your podcast, and your listeners. Enough said.
Be yourself (like actually!). The best ads that I’ve heard on podcasts are always that are read in the host’s own style. Some are even timely to what’s happening in the host’s life. These make it seem like you’re a real person actually using what you’re advertising, and not just some cog in the capitalist machine.
Buy local. (💜Might not apply to everyone reading this). Podcasts that can align with local businesses for advertising, should consider doing it. It furthers a sense of commitment to the community.
🥂Something I wish someone had told me sooner
Podcast friends also include those you may not have any transactional relationships with. The ones you talk to on occasion, information-share with, catch-up over cocktails at events. Please also pick those with care. Your work is precious to you. Your listeners, no matter how many you might have, are a result of your hard work. Protect them. Engage with those in the industry that feel aligned with your beliefs, goals, and ✨ vibes ✨.
Go forth and spring clean your (podcast) friendships, my valiant readers!
🤩 More Magic
Nominations for Quill’s Podcasting Awards 2025 are almost closed! Submit your favorites, before April 21. Our own Lauren Passell will be a judge!
NPR’s All Things Considered has put out a call out for short form documentaries. Thank you to Talia Augustidis who chatted with producer Noah Caldwell on this opportunity. [NPR is currently paying $950 for producers to keep the licensing. Those interested can reach out to noahcaldwell@npr.org.]
Entries for the BBC’s International Audio Drama Competition 2026 are now open. Those interested can submit here.
🤝 From the Desk of Tink
It should come as no surprise that leaders of nonprofits are overworked, overwhelmed, and constantly tackling budgetary hurdles. On Nonprofits Now, host Stacy Palmer interviews innovative leaders who have developed smart solutions to these problems. Each episode offers actionable strategies to address the most urgent challenges nonprofits leaders face.
Badam tss! That’s all, folks! Thank you for reading.
Wil returns next week with more podcast marketing magic.
🌚 Until then, stay curious.